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Police receive soccer punch report

ST. JOHNSBURY – Police in St. Johnsbury are investigating a report that a youth soccer coach was assaulted by the father of a player during a game this weekend.

Police Chief Clem Houde said investigators have received a complaint that St. Johnsbury resident Don Hjelm punched resident Todd M. Smith as Smith was coaching the St. Johnsbury Recreation Department's 3rd-4th grade soccer team at the St. Johnsbury School.

"It's an ongoing investigation," Houde said Monday.

Several people who were at the game Saturday said they already had been contacted by police about the incident. Hjelm did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him by telephone and email, and there was no sign of him at the team's practice at Union Baptist Church in Waterford on Monday.

Smith is the publisher of the Caledonian-Record and a volunteer youth soccer coach. He provided police with a written statement Monday afternoon detailing the incident that he said occurred late in the second half of the game in front of multiple witnesses, including opposing coach Chad Whitehead.

Contacted at home Monday, Whitehead said he didn't want to make a public comment. "I'll give my statement to the police department," Whitehead said.

According to witnesses at the scene and Smith's statement to police, the incident began after some rough play by Hjelm's son on the field. Smith said he questioned Hjelm about his son's aggressive play and Hjelm responded by charging at him and punching him in the face.

"Without saying a word, Hjelm charged (from approximately ten feet away) and delivered a sucker punch to my face with his right hand," Smith wrote.

Hjelm was then escorted from the premises by Recreation Director Joe Fox.

Smith, who also is vice president of St. Johnsbury Baseball, has dealt with Hjelm in the past. He said Hjelm refused to be subject to a background check required of all on-field coaches during the summer season and was asked to leave playing field.

"He refused to fill out a volunteer application, so he wasn't allowed to be on the field," St. Johnsbury Baseball President Carrie Priest said Monday. "We asked him to leave the field at one point, but he just walked back onto the field."

Smith, in his statement to police, detailed the baseball incident and his past interaction with Hjelm. Smith wrote that Hjelm threatened to assault him and "sue me for everything."